


Ego

by BigJBonk



Series: Perfect AU [9]
Category: OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes
Genre: Angst, Brief Mentions of Blood, Brief Violence, Carol's A+ Parenting, Cover Art, Crying, Drama, Existentialism, Gen, Guilt, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, K.O. is a shit, K.O. is an idiot, K.O. loves his job, K.O. use your nice words please, Oneshot, P.K.O. is not helpful, Rad and Enid are useless, Shadowy Figure Tries, Shadowy Figure is a creep, Shadowy Figure is busy go away, Shadowy Figure is oddly patient, T.K.O. is mean, T.K.O. trying to be nice, duh I mean look at the character tags who do you see in there, everyone needs sleep, mean enough that there's a brief warning in the author's note, pretty minor though, someone please beta my tags they are a mess, this was going to be about Shadowy Figure but ended up being about T.K.O. lol sorry, yes i'm tagging that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-10-03 10:47:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17282615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BigJBonk/pseuds/BigJBonk
Summary: After discovering Shadowy Figure's identity, K.O. wants answers. And if Carol won't give them to him, then he'll just have to ask someone else.





	Ego

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I would like to start by saying that I'm really sorry. I thought I was going to have this done before Thanksgiving because I knew exactly what I wanted to write, but then I just kept getting stuck, like, every other paragraph. I tried to avoid making it Genitor 2, and this thing fought me the entire way. So sorry it's so late, but at least now I can tell you all Happy (late) New Year!
> 
> Small warning for this one because there is a brief description of violence. Normally I wouldn't see fit to warn you guys for something like that when it's a show that involves cartoonish violence. But given the context of the scene, I worry that it may be reminiscent of abuse, even if I didn't intend to write it as such. I could be totally wrong, as I haven't been abused myself, but I figured better to be safe than sorry. It only occurs during a couple of paragraphs after the scene change roughly halfway through. There's some in-context warning though, so you'll see it coming.

K.O. stared off into space, resting his weight against the handle of his mop. His eyes, crusty and red, would barely stay open, and refused to blink at the same time. He'd been standing there for at least twenty minutes, swinging his mop one way or the other every few seconds. Whether or not the boy was even conscious was debatable.

Rad and Enid shot each other worried looks, wondering if they should ask K.O. what was up. Their decision was made for them when the kid let out a long, high-pitched snore. As his mop slowly started to slip out from underneath him, Rad caught him in a beam, keeping him upright.

K.O. jolted, his eyes snapping open and his back going ramrod straight. "I'm up, I'm up!"

"Dude, are you, like, okay?" asked Enid.

"Yeah, your eyebags could be paying rent," Rad commented.

"Hm? Oh," K.O. hummed sleepily. "Yeah, I'm okay. P.K.O. hasn't been sleeping well the past couple days. I guess I'm just tired."

Rad and Enid exchanged looks again. Enid was the one who spoke. "Any particular reason _why_ P.K.O. isn't sleeping?"

"He's been thinking a lot," K.O. replied.

Rad rotated his wrist in a circular motion. "He's been thinking a lot about...?"

K.O. rubbed his eyes. "About how Shadowy Figure is my dad."

There was a solid ten seconds of silence. " _WHAT?!_ " Rad and Enid cried in unison.

"Shadowy Figure is your _dad?!_ " Rad asked.

"Mm-hm," K.O. nodded. "Mommy told me a couple nights ago. And it turns out he used to be Laserblast. So P.K.O. and T.K.O. have been thinking about it a lot."

"Well, aren't you thinking about it too?" Rad wondered. "I mean, you just found out your pops is both the shadiest villain at the plaza _and_ one of the greatest heroes in P.O.I.N.T. history! That's gotta be a lot to take in!"

"It is," K.O. agreed, stifling a yawn. "I'm just not all that surprised."

"Not surprised?" Enid parroted. "So that's it? You're not even going to question it?"

"T.K.O. tried," K.O. told her, "but mommy wouldn't say anything after that. We only found out in the first place because P.K.O. followed her when she left to tell Shadowy Figure to leave us alone. I don't think she wanted us to find out who he was."

"So you can't even talk to the one person you should be able to talk to about stuff like this?" Enid asked. K.O. shook his head.

"That is so messed up," Rad breathed.

"Wish I could help you, kid," Enid said with a single pat on K.O.'s head, "but this isn't a universal issue I can give you generic advice on. Sorry."

"It's okay," K.O. sighed. "I don't want to make a big deal out of it, anyway."

"Well, it kind of is a big deal," Enid retorted.

"Yeah, but..." K.O. huffed, glum expression becoming a mild pout. "I don't really wanna talk about it right now."

"But K.O., y-" Rad started, but Enid covered his mouth, shooting him a glare. Luckily, he took the hint and shut up.

"Just try to get some sleep later, kid," said Enid. K.O. only nodded, and the teens, still uncertain, went back to pretending to work.

K.O. sighed, returning to his cleaning duty, inefficient as it was. It wasn't that he wasn't curious- he was dying for answers just as much as his counterparts were- it was just that he'd resigned himself to the fact that Carol didn't want to talk about Shadowy Figure. She'd told them the basics, sure, but she'd also mentioned wanting to wait until they were older. Maybe she thought they were too young to understand, or maybe it was just an excuse to dismiss the topic altogether. Either way, as things stood, K.O. wouldn't be getting more information any time soon.

The rhythmic back and forth of the mop slowed to a stop, K.O. looking up with a thoughtful expression. Just then, Pird walked into the store, immediately choosing to loudly pester Enid. K.O.'s eyes lit up as an idea struck him.

_Maybe I can find something out after all._

"I'm taking out the trash!" K.O. announced, mop dropping to the floor. He zoomed around the store at top speed, rounding up all the garbage he could find.

"But K.O., there's..." Enid raised a finger as she tried to get K.O.'s attention, but the tyke was already long gone. "...barely... any... eh."

K.O. didn't bother with any of the bins in the break or storage rooms. Instead, he took his meager findings to the dumpster outside, the greasy black bag more air than waste. He placed the bag inside as slowly as he could, taking a leisurely stretch as he did so. "Wowee, I sure do love taking out the trash! I hope no villains attack me while my guard is down!"

A few seconds of silence passed. K.O. turned around, hands on his hips, face the picture of innocence. "It would be just _terrible_ if any creepy hooded bad guys showed up right now!" There was no response. Ignoring the nervous twist in his stomach, K.O. slid down the ditch, knocking harshly on the side of the protruding sewer pipe. "Shadowy Figure, get your evil butt out here already!" K.O. waited a few seconds longer, but still received no answer. Relieved, but also annoyed, he turned, giving up on meeting the villain and climbing back up to firmer ground.

"K.O.?" Shadowy Figure called as he hesitantly emerged from the pipe, his usual lilting tone replaced with a note of bafflement. "What are you doing down here? One could say you're literally asking for trouble."

Startled, K.O. slid back down, landing clumsily on his behind. He whirled around, struck by a familiar thrill of fear at the sight of the villain, but he tamped it down. "I have questions for you. A lot of them. And I want you to answer them," he all but stammered.

"Questions, huh?" Shadowy Figure hummed. "About the other night, I imagine. Hate to say it, kid, but I can't help you. I'm a little busy at the moment, you see."

"You're not getting away _that_ easily, mister!" said K.O., arrogant despite his nerves. "A while ago, you said I had to make an appointment to ask questions! Well, I'm making an appointment now, so you _have_ to answer!"

Shadowy Figure grimaced. "I _did_ say something like that, didn't I..." He looked away, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Okay, fine. I can't promise I'll answer everything, but I suppose I can spare a little time." He glanced around. "Your mother would be quite upset if she saw me with you, so perhaps you should follow me somewhere more private-"

"No!" K.O. took a step back. "I'm not going anywhere with you. You're going to answer my questions from all the way over there," he pointed to where Shadowy Figure was standing, "and I'll stay over here. So don't try anything funny."

Shadowy Figure smirked. "You're not as naïve as you used to be. That's good." He took a seat on the slope of the ditch, opposite of K.O. "Have it your way then. I can't answer all of your questions, but I will truthfully answer whatever I can."

K.O. blinked a few times. He honestly hadn't thought that Shadowy Figure would cooperate so readily. "...Um... I guess we'll start with the big one. Are... Are you really my dad?"

"No," Shadowy Figure replied without hesitation. "That would be Laserblast."

"But mommy said _you-_ "

"If Carol really told you I was Laserblast," Shadowy Figure cut him off with a sneer, "then she's either lying or delusional."

Oh. Well. There went most of the questions he was going to ask. K.O. faltered, suddenly at a loss. "...Well, did you and Laserblast know each other?" After a short pause, Shadowy Figure nodded. "You guys were related, weren't you?" This time, the villain didn't respond at all, which may as well have been a confirmation. "You were! So were you brothers? Cousins?" He gasped. "Are you his daddy?!"

"What? No, don't ask such ridiculous questions," Shadowy Figure spluttered. "How old do you think I am, anyway?"

"...Fifty?" K.O. tried. Shadowy Figure actually scoffed at that. "Well, if you're not brothers or cousins, and you're not his daddy, then how are you related to him?"

Shadowy Figure crossed one leg over the other, neatly folding his hands in his lap. He looked stiff, maybe even a little uncomfortable. "Frankly, I don't think that's any of your business. I knew him, but I wasn't him. That's all you need to know on the matter."

K.O. crossed his arms with a huff. That was _not_ all he needed to know, otherwise he wouldn't have willingly put himself anywhere near the villain in the first place. But that was fine. He had other questions. "Okay, you're not Laserblast, and you're totally _not_ related to him, either. Then why were you there when I was a baby?"

Shadowy Figure let out a low whistle, minutely tipping his head to one side. "That far back, huh... To this day, I'm not entirely sure what possessed me to keep coming to see you back then. Although, ultimately, I suppose it boils down to the fact that Carol wanted me there."

K.O. nodded to himself, the answer close enough to Carol's own admission for him to believe it. "Did you know about T.K.O. back then?"

Shadowy Figure paused. "Not at first," he replied carefully. "It isn't exactly common for a child to harbor a living manifestation of their own negative emotions. I never thought to look."

"Hmm... I don't believe you," K.O. hummed.

"Smart of you not to," Shadowy Figure said with a smirk, "but that doesn't make my words any less true."

"But it _can't_ be true," K.O. insisted, "because you came and found mommy, not the other way around. Why would you come back, unless you knew about T.K.O.?"

"You weren't even born yet when I reunited with her," Shadowy Figure told him with the forced patience of someone who was used to dealing with children. "And as I told you, I don't know why I met up with her again."

"My mommy says that 'I don't know' isn't an answer," K.O. said matter-of-factly. Shadowy Figure straightened quickly, though whether it was in shock or indignation wasn't clear. "I think you _knew_ he was there, or at least you _thought_ he was."

Shadowy Figure facepalmed, took a deep breath, and slid his hand down his face until he was holding his chin. "...I didn't know, but I wondered," he admitted.

"Ha!" K.O. pointed a triumphant finger. "Mommy said that T.K.O.'s powers didn't manifest until I was a toddler, and that's _way_ after you showed up! So how would you know he was there before anyone else?" Shadowy Figure didn't respond. Undeterred, K.O. pressed on. "Why would you even be thinking about it, anyway? Unless..."

"I meant it when I said I was busy," Shadowy Figure interrupted him, rising to his feet. "It's been a lovely interrogation, but I really must be going..."

"Hold on!" K.O. called, extending his arms in front of the pipe. "There's _no way_ you could've known I had an alter ego... unless I wasn't the only one! There's others like me out there, aren't there? You said it wasn't common, but that's not the same as no such thing!"

"It would be ignorant to assume T.K.O. was the only one of his kind," Shadowy Figure replied, making to sidestep him. "Now if you'll excuse me-"

"But why me?" asked K.O., stepping in front of him. The more he asked, the more he started to connect the dots. "Why would you think I had an alter ego if it's so rare to have one? Even if you didn't really know, you said you wondered. But why... unless it has to do with Laserblast? He had an alter ego too, didn't he? And if you're related to him but not really, and you didn't show up until he went away, then that means _you're_ his-!"

Shadowy Figure grabbed K.O. by his arms, leaning in close enough that K.O. could _almost_ make out his face through the shade of his hood, catching only a glimpse of his jagged canines, his eyes narrowed into slits. His breath reeked of cooked meat and halitosis. "You don't know _anything,_ " he hissed. "If you're looking for some way to bring him back, you may as well stop. Laserblast _died_ in that explosion 7 to 12 years ago. He's never coming back. Not what you wanted to hear? Then you shouldn't be asking such dangerous questions if you aren't ready for the answers."

Just like that, K.O. was released, as was the terrified breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Shadowy Figure stepped back, regaining some of his composure. "If that was all, then I have other business to attend to," he said, already making his leave.

"Wait, I have one more question," K.O. called out meekly. Surprisingly, Shadowy Figure stopped, barely turning his head to show that he was listening. Swallowing thickly, K.O. looked down at his feet, wringing his wrists. "...So, this is going to sound kind of silly, but... could you take your hood off? I've only seen Laserblast in pictures, and I don't even know what _you_ look like, so I thought that maybe..."

"You want to know what _he_ looks like," Shadowy Figure finished for him. When K.O. stayed quiet, the villain frowned, considering the request. After a moment of silence, he offered a small smile that looked more sly than reassuring. "Don't worry about that. You'll probably be seeing my face soon enough." Without giving K.O. time to protest, he slipped into the pipe, the darkness swallowing him almost immediately.

A few seconds passed, and K.O.'s legs gave out, a nervous giggle escaping him as the adrenaline and stress caught up with him. That was probably one of the worst ideas he'd ever had; he could already imagine the lecture P.K.O. was going to give him that night. But miraculously, he'd gotten what he wanted- sort of- and escaped the ordeal unharmed. Maybe now he could get some proper sleep.

When K.O. came back into the store, Enid gave him a bored look. "What took you so long? Garbage bag too heavy?"

K.O. blinked. he'd forgotten that he'd taken the trash out as an excuse to go outside. "Oh, no. I just... got distracted."

Enid hummed, easily buying the half-truth. "Go to bed early or something, kid."

K.O. chuckled. "Yeah, I think I will."

(~)

K.O. manifested himself in the subconscious that night, mentally prepared for a tongue-lashing from P.K.O. He made to go to his house, but stopped when he saw the fusion in question sitting on T.K.O.'s porch, wrists resting on his knees. He looked put-out.

Confused, K.O. approached him. "What are you doing here, P.K.O.?" When the fusion looked up to acknowledge him, K.O. reeled back at the sight of a nasty black eye, swollen shut tight and still leaking tears. K.O. didn't know that they _could_ get physically hurt in the subconscious. "Woah, what happened to your eye?!"

"Oh, this?" P.K.O. asked sarcastically, pointing to the aforementioned eye. "Well, let's just say that T.K.O. wants to be left alone right now."

K.O. furrowed his brows. "T.K.O. hit you? He hasn't hit anyone in a long time. He must be really upset."

"When isn't he upset?" P.K.O. replied dryly. He frowned at the look on K.O.'s face. "Hey, I know what you're thinking. Do _not_ go in there. I know better than anyone what kind of mood he's in. This little thing he gave to me? He's probably gonna do way worse to you if you try to talk him down. Don't wanna do two dumb things today, right?"

K.O. smiled sheepishly. "Okay, I deserve that. But I can't just do nothing. I think I should at least _try_ to cheer him up."

P.K.O. shook his head, knowing that there was no convincing him. "Then don't say I didn't warn you. Though I'd at least make yourself a megafootball helmet or something. He went straight for my face."

K.O. nodded, thanking P.K.O. for the tip. After taking a moment to make himself a pair of safety goggles, he took a steadying breath, pushing open the door.

The second the door latched shut behind him, K.O. was forced to duck as a Power Fist came flying at him. He managed to dodge it, but the door was left badly splintered. "Leave me alone!" T.K.O. yelled from the neighboring room.

"T.K.O., wait, I just wanted to-"

 _"I said leave me alone!_ " T.K.O. bellowed, materializing in front of his friendlier counterpart. He threw a devastating punch, shattering the goggles on impact, leaving K.O. defenseless to the second punch. The blow sent him sprawling to the ground, clutching his cheek. He could taste blood. "Get out of here before I make you!"

K.O. propped himself up on his elbows, spitting out a tooth. He was briefly glad that the injury wouldn't carry over to the real world. "I just wanted to be sure you were okay."

"Of course I'm not!" T.K.O. shouted, punctuating his exclamation with a kick to K.O.'s stomach, launching him at the door- which barely held together- and letting him slump to the ground. "But if you thought I was in the mood to talk, you've got another thing coming! Now _leave,_ or that door won't be the only thing I'm breaking down!"

"But..." K.O. coughed, nursing his definitely-bruised stomach. "But talking... usually makes _me_ feel better... when I'm upset."

T.K.O. raised his fist again, and K.O. flinched. But when no blow came, he dared to look up at T.K.O.'s conflicted expression. He must have seen something in K.O.'s eyes, because he dropped his fist, the fight abruptly leaving him. What was left was a smile that could only be described as manic. "...You're such an idiot," he murmured, shaking his head. "You're such an _idiot..._ "

T.K.O. wasn't crying, but the evidence was there. His eyes were red, and faded streaks of makeup ran down his cheeks. Though his shoulders were slumped, they shook like he was still fighting off tears. K.O. had only seen him this miserable once before; there was just one thing he could think of that would make him look so broken up like this.

"...Shadowy Figure said something that upset you, didn't he?"

"No!" T.K.O. replied defensively, throwing himself to the floor so that he was sitting crisscross. "...Not really. It's not what he said. It's more like... what he didn't."

"Huh?" K.O. asked, carefully pushing himself into an upright position. "What do you mean?"

"I told you I don't want to talk about it," T.K.O. growled, crossing his arms.

"Oh... Then do you need a hug?"

" _No._ "

The pair sat there in awkward silence, T.K.O. out of stubbornness and K.O. simply at a loss for words. K.O. was just considering giving T.K.O. space when his alter growled and spoke up. "What am I, K.O.?"

K.O. perked up, startled and confused by the question. "You're my edgy alter ego, right?"

"That's just a description," T.K.O. snapped. "What _am_ I?"

At this, K.O.'s brows furrowed, not quite sure what T.K.O. was asking for. "...Human?"

"Am I really?" T.K.O. challenged. "Because I only exist inside your head, happen to look almost exactly like you, and I pretty much exclusively feel negative emotions. Most of which come from you, by the way. Does that sound like a human to you?"

K.O. shook his head. "What are you talking about, T.K.O.?"

"If what Shadowy Figure implied was true," T.K.O. pressed on, rising to his feet as he worked himself up, "then he's Laserblast's alter ego. Laserblast. Your dad. The brave, kind-hearted hero, destined for greatness and all that junk. Shadowy Figure is sleazy, manipulative, and definitely evil. He's a monster." He grit his teeth. "And between the two of us, I'm pretty sure you're supposed to be the heroic one."

Another head shake, this time more fervent. "T.K.O., you're not-"

"It all adds up," the alter cut him off, now furiously pacing. "If you're the good one, that makes me the bad one. It makes sense, doesn't it? I've been trying to be good, I've been _trying,_ but it just doesn't come naturally to me like it does for you. I almost always want to tear something apart, and I'd figured, maybe that's just my temper, you know? But it couldn't be that. I shouldn't always be feeling like that. But it's not just my feelings. Every negative emotion you've ever felt gets siphoned into me. It fuels me, makes me stronger. And I used that power, I used that _rage,_ and I wrenched control away from you more times than I can count.

"And then, when you were talking to Shadowy Figure, I realized something," T.K.O. continued, an odd sort of desperation in his eyes as he stopped pacing. "That was exactly what _he_ did. The difference is he succeeded, permanently. You, you've made forcefully taking control obsolete. But the temptation is always there. Always. And I have no intention of giving in, but what if it doesn't matter? What if no matter what I do, that anger keeps building and building until I can't control it anymore? What if I take everything away from you, and never give it back, and then I just keep doing more and more bad things? What if I'm destined to be just like him?! What if..." T.K.O. made a strangled noise, tears threatening to spill. "...What if I'm just meant to be bad?"

K.O. sat there for a moment, stunned by what he was hearing. "T.K.O., you know that's not true."

"No, I don't," T.K.O. bit out. "But here's what I do know. Shadowy Figure is Laserblast's alter ego, and I'm yours. Which makes sense, because Laserblast's your dad. But that's not the kind of thing that just gets passed down. You know what _does_ get passed down, though? Powers. That means I'm not your alter ego at all. I'm your power. That means I'm not human, and _that_ means that I am what I am, and I. Can't. Change. I _can't_ be good, K.O.!"

"You've got it all wrong!" K.O. pleaded, getting to his feet. "T.K.O., you aren't evil!"

"How do you know that?!" T.K.O. snapped, gnashing his teeth. "It's so _hard_ for me to be good, it's borderline unnatural! Just look at what I did to you! I lost my temper, and even though I have a _perfectly good_ punching bag to wail on, I chose to take my anger out on you. You know why? Because I wanted to. It felt better to thrash you than a lifeless sack. Would a good person choose to do something like that, huh?!"

"...But you regret it."

"Yes!" T.K.O. cried. " _Yes_ I regret it! But that doesn't change what I did, does it?!"

"...No," K.O. admitted, "but the fact that you regret it does matter." He paused. "T.K.O., do you want to do bad things?"

T.K.O. looked at him, disgusted. " _No._ "

"Then you're not a bad person."

"Arrgh, you don't _get_ it!" T.K.O. roared, pulling at his hair. "It doesn't matter if I _feel_ bad if I'm just going to do bad things anyway! Some day I'm going to really hurt someone, maybe even cripple them, and yeah, I'll probably wish I hadn't done it, but it won't change the fact that I ruined someone's life!"

"Now you listen to me, T.K.O.," snapped K.O., sternly enough to shut T.K.O. up. "You're not ruining anyone's life because you don't want to. Even if you do exist because of Shadowy Figure, that doesn't mean you have to grow up like him. _You_ get to choose to be good or bad. He can't choose that for you."

"But I've done so many horrible things!" T.K.O. cried desperately.

"But they're _way_ outnumbered by all the good things!" K.O. countered.

"Oh yeah?" T.K.O. replied miserably. "Name three things."

"I can name more than three," K.O. said with a knowing smile. "On your first day out, you defeated that really big Darrell before he could destroy the bodega, and you saved Rad and Enid."

"He was in my way," T.K.O. muttered.

"And after that," K.O. continued, "you came out because you didn't like the way Dendy was treating me. You were trying to protect me."

"Was not," T.K.O. grumbled. "I was just sick of being her guinea pig."

"You fought off Boxman Jr. because I asked you to, and you promised not to hurt anyone else. And then you agreed to work together to find Shadowy Figure. We have a cool roommate now because of that, too," K.O. added. "You've been forgiving people instead of holding grudges, and trying to be nice to everyone, and sharing your problems, and just opening yourself up. And it's okay to have bad moods. A lot of heroes wouldn't be heroes if it meant they had to be nice all the time."

T.K.O.'s composure had slowly waned during K.O.'s rant, and by the end of it his lip was quivering. "I really want to believe you, but... I don't know what to _do._ "

K.O. smiled softly. "Just keep being good. Because you _are_ good." When he opened his arms for an embrace, T.K.O. accepted it, finally letting the tears fall.

(~)

"Do you have your backpack, K.O.?"

"I've got it, mommy!" K.O. called, running into the living room where his mother was waiting.

"Teeth brushed? Coat on? Homework done?"

"Yep, yep, and yep! I'm all ready to go!" With a satisfied nod, Carol led K.O. into the tank-car, waited for him to buckle his seatbelt, and pulled out of the driveway.

The drive was much quieter than normal. Carol wasn't too put-off by it; she knew that P.K.O. hadn't been sleeping well, and poor K.O. was left to deal with the repercussions. It was nothing a little extra sleep wouldn't fix.

It didn't take very long to get to school. "Off you go, K.O.! I'll see you after work!" Silence. No door opening, no farewell, not even the click of the seatbelt could be heard. "K.O.?" When she got no answer, she glanced in her rearview mirror, and saw that it wasn't K.O. in the backseat. "Teeks? I suppose you wanted to have a turn at school today?"

"I'm not here to go to school," T.K.O. sneered.

"Oh. Well, was there something to ask me? We can't talk too long, though. K.O. has to be in class in ten minutes."

"I know what I am," T.K.O. replied in lieu of a direct answer, "and I know what Shadowy Figure is. I'm still really mad that you didn't tell me, you know."

Carol grimaced. "Teeks, we don't have enough time to have this conversation again right now-"

"I know," T.K.O. cut her off. He made sure that he had her utmost attention before he spoke again. "I just wanted to tell you not to worry. I'm never going to be like him. I won't let that happen."

"Oh, Teeks," Carol crooned. "I never thought for even a second that you would be a thing like him."

"Tch. You're just saying that 'cause you're my mom. You're supposed to say stuff like that."

"But it's true," said Carol. "It doesn't matter what your origins are. What matters is what you choose to be. And I think you've been making some good choices so far."

"I guess..."

Carol turned around in her seat. "Hey, chin up, kiddo. That level 5 didn't come out of nowhere. I'd say you're doing alright."

"Yeah, whatever," T.K.O. grumbled without any real bite. "That's all I wanted to say."

"Well, you'd better get going then," said Carol. "You wouldn't want K.O. to be late."

"Yeah, yeah," T.K.O. smirked, hopping out of the car. "See you tomorrow mom."

"Bye sweetie!" Carol called, her son giving her a halfhearted glare in response. Once he'd disappeared into the building, Carol shook her head with a chuckle. Honestly, he was still angry from the other day, and yet _he_ was the one trying to make _her_ feel better.

Yep. He was definitely doing alright.

**Author's Note:**

> I always thought I might be bad  
> Now I'm sure that it's true  
> 'Cause I think you're so good  
> And I'm nothing like you
> 
> Sorry, thought the lyrics fit, haha. Love Like You, by Rebecca Sugar.
> 
> So, yep. I headcanon that Laserblast's power was never his lasers (maybe he has them, or maybe it's his helmet, I have no clue). His real power was whatever the heck Shadowy Figure and T.K.O. are, because what are the odds that both Laserblast and K.O. would have alter egos? In real-life cases of having two distinct people in one body, I don't think it's a hereditary condition, so that left me with the conclusion that Shadowy Figure and T.K.O. are a weird power with a physical manifestation. And to think that P.K.O. had existentialism issues.
> 
> Gah, this was such a huge pain! I knew that the boys would demand more answers, but figuring out hw to approach the story without rehashing Genitor was way more difficult than I think it should have been. And then getting T.K.O. to articulate his problems was even harder. It was a hassle to write the entire time, but hopefully I ended up achieving what I wanted.
> 
> I've got my next two stories vaguely planned out already (currently writing the first of the two). Part 10 will be way lighter than this, but will probably have its fair share of drama. These boys need to have a good day, dangit. The second is currently a concept more than a plan, but will feature a very seldom-written character from the show. I have good feelings about that one.
> 
> Don't forget, the boys have a Tumblr blog, https://askthreekaios.tumblr.com/. If you want to ask them something, that's where to do it. Or, if you have questions about the AU itself, either PM me or ask my main blog, https://bigjbonk.tumblr.com/. But please don't be offended if I don't immediately respond on Tumblr. The askthreekaios blog answers asks on a loose schedule (to stay in character and junk), and it seems like sometimes asks don't go through at all.
> 
> One more thing! P.K.O. made a playlist of different songs he likes. You can find it on my YouTube, Big J Bonk (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh3NlD3QUHlumKqz8zABXwA). It's there if you were curious about his music taste, or if you just wanted to listen to something besides mainstream music (some of it might be a bit mainstream though, haha). You can also recommend songs or bands to him, and if it's something he would like, I'll add a song to the playlist.
> 
> Hope to see you guys again soon!


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